Bible News Press Special Report – The Dangers of Dumbed Down Bible Stories for Children

When my first children were young, I did what most Christians do. I looked for a Bible “they could understand.” But I found myself having to keep filling in details and explaining away the ridiculous pictures. I soon decided to just read them sections from the actual text on a regular basis.

We read enough in chronological order, on a nearly daily basis, to give them a sense of progression. Sure I divided the readings into portions that fit attention spans, but there was a continuity to it. They often sat and drew pictures of what I was reading about. Right away I became aware that they were coming away with so much more of the truth of the matter than I could have imagined. More than I was personally teaching them, even! And they were much more interested than I had originally given them credit for.

Possibly some people would be concerned with how detailed the text can be in places. However, I found that instead of stressing my children, these accounts showed them that God can absolutely handle real life. The descriptive language grabbed their attention and the depth of issues made sense. Kids aren’t dumb.

It also gave the kids such a better grasp of where they fit in the world. They could tell that the real version was more than myths. That God-given realization of who God is, such as is mentioned in the letter to the Romans, was healthier for being fed with substantial renditions of events.

When I didn’t understand the whys and hows, I just told them. It didn’t matter that we couldn’t completely understand God. On the other hand, they would frequently pipe up with insights that hadn’t even occurred to me. That’s humbling. When they could read, they would sometimes take turns reading sections and it was fun to hear it come alive in their voices.

We never made it an academic study. We would review and discuss, but it was not so we could write a thesis or pass a test. It was for love of the subject. It was for love of getting to know our God.

They could tell that I was enthralled with passing on these things and they enjoyed the excitement, both of my fervor and of the flames, fights, and miracles. We did memorize some, but we did a lot of that in songs I made up. The kids still sing those songs on the spur of the moment today as adults. That warms the heart.

So, after nearly 30 years of reading the real Bible with my 7 children, I offer these cautions against using “children’s curriculum” or children’s bibles to teach them about God:

The children learn to associate the Bible stories with cartoons and fiction.

The characters in the ancient text become one-dimensional when removed from the real setting.

The people in the Bible are often presented as “relatable” in a child-entered way, and the children learn to think it is all about their own psychological needs.

The characters in the Bible lose power and force, and thus respectability in the mind of the child.

The characters in the Bible become difficult for the child to relate with as he matures.

The child learns to think that the Bible is too long and complicated.

The whole integrated message of history is chopped up and lost.

Children lose the opportunity to have their own insights.

Children lose the opportunity to ask meaty questions.

The full impact of the events is watered down, if not lost.

Adults get bored with the telling and that boredom is passed on to the children.

The children learn to think of the Bible as simply another book they have to study

My kids understand my Bible News Press articles. They know I am not questioning the text, but rather challenging others to see what the text really has to say. People make assumptions or don’t pay attention to the complications inherent in everyone’s lives, since the beginning of time.

The memories of being able to share the whole, real Bible with my children surpasses anything else I taught them. Don’t deprive yourself of that as a parent. It is a privilege. You will learn a lot and relationship will be built with your children in ways you cannot imagine.

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